So, you want it smooth, you want it clean… We know this about you because you landed on this page. And here you’re going to find out exactly how to have it this way… your surface of course.
You already know what you want to do with sandblasting. Sandblasting has been used over a hundred years to smooth a rough surface, shape a surface or remove surface contaminants and clean it. What you need in this process is abrasive material and a high pressure of air to stream it in the direction of the surface so you can remove paint, rust, dirt… and of course, the equipment to make it possible.
Nowadays there is a wide range of sandblasting equipment in front of you. It can be confusing and hard to decide what equipment to choose by looking at the wide offer at first glance. Yet, with a little help from friends (us) making this decision can become a piece of cake. All you need is a focus on the right info. So, let’s get started.
To choose the best sand blasting equipment you have to take a close look at your needs and your possibilities.
Let’s start with the most obvious factor in choosing the sandblasting equipment – take a look at your wallet.
The Budget
The Australian market of sandblasting equipment is pretty much polarised in a sense of a price; you can find very cheap sandblasting equipment of low quality on one side, or there is a range of supreme industrial sandblasters that cost a fortune on the other side.
Yet, don’t be discouraged by this initial sentiment, because if you look closer for industrial media blaster of a high-quality and reasonable price, it can be found. There are not many sandblasting equipment suppliers with such an offer, but they are worth searching for.
What applies at a blasting machine as a whole, also applies at its particular parts. It would not be bad if all parts are manufactured in Australia. Make sure to check this fact because it guarantees some level of quality on one side and a reasonable price at the other. Also, it means less downtime if it comes to repair.
Your budget to some extent determines also which sandblasting media you’ll be using in the process and that is a very important factor in choosing the best sand blasting equipment.
Type of Sandblasting Media
The choice of sandblasting media mostly depends on specific usage, or in other words what you want to achieve with sandblasting. There are different types of abrasive media. They come in different shapes, sizes, friability, and hardness. All of them work best in specific cases.
Although the process itself is called sandblasting, sand is not used anymore as a blast media due to health issues. Types of sandblasting media commonly used would be:
- Crushed Glass
- Coal Slag
- Soda
- Garnet
- Steel Grit
So, which one to choose? Here’re some hints…For example, crushed glass is a great choice for paint removal. It has been used commonly for surface profiling for paint of steel, and other hard surfaces. Garnett is known as very fast at removing contaminant and it is used often for effective surface preparation. And steel grit can be recycled up to hundred times and used again if you have that possibility. You’ll need a sandblasting cabinet or booth for this process which also allows dustless blasting.
In any case, if you are not certain which type of abrasive media works the best for your particular needs, don’t hesitate to contact an abrasive media supplier. Have a long chat about this topic because the media you’ll choose (the media you need) will determine the choice of sandblasting machine, or to be more precise the choice of valves in it. Some abrasive media work best with special valves so the knowledge about this is very important in choosing the right blasting machine.
Sandblaster Machine Size
Here we are talking about the blast pot size. In order to choose the right size for your needs ask yourself – how long do you need to blast using one fill?
The size of a blast pot is expressed in cubic foot. All kids get the math the best from an example, so we’ll cut the theory with the simple one:
If you need to blast for 30min you’ll need a blast pot of six cubic foot at least.
If you need it shorter or longer, do the math yourself, it’s pretty easy.
Knowing this, consider carefully what sandblaster size will be the best choice for you.
Technical Support
Last, but not the least when you are choosing your sandblasting equipment and media supplier, consider what kind of technical support they are offering. Like in any other job, if you are in wet sandblasting business, things can go wrong for some reason, especially with new equipment you are just starting to use.
Make sure your supplier is available for you 24/7. The fact somebody is holding your back at any time is the feeling money can’t buy.